Therapeutic or Preventive Procedure
thoracotomy Audio
tho·ra·cot·o·my [ thawr-uh-kot-uh-mee, thohr- ]
Subclass of:
Thoracic Surgical Procedures
Definitions related to thoracotomy:
  • A surgical procedure in which an large incision is made into the chest wall, for the purpose of accessing organs inside the thoracic cavity.
    NCI Thesaurus
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • An operation to open the chest.
    NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • Surgical incision into the chest wall.
    NLM Medical Subject Headings
    U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2021
  • Thoracotomy is surgical opening of the chest. It is done to evaluate and treat pulmonary problems when noninvasive procedures are nondiagnostic or unlikely to be definitive.
    Merck Manuals
    Merck & Co., Inc., 2020
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This content should not be used in place of medically-reviewed decision support reference material or professional medical advice. Some terms may have alternate or updated definitions not reflected in this set. The definitions on this page should not be considered complete or up to date.